The James Gang Rides Again

Is it blues? Is it had rock? Is it funk? The James Gang Rides Again (1970) is all those genres and more. This was the second album from the rockers from Cleveland. Their first album Yer' Album came out the year before. The James Gang Rides Again was the first album to feature bassist, Dale Peters.

My roommate and I knew some things about The James Gang, we knew the basics, but we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into when we out the needle into the record. Immediately we were blown away by just how classic this album seemed. It seemed as if we'd heard it before, it was so familiar becUse it was just so good.

The second album is a coming of age piece for the principle songwriter and lead guitar player, Joe Walsh, who would later play for The Eagles. Critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote "With their second album Rides Again, the James Gang came into their own... Walsh's songwriting had improved, giving the band solid support for their stylistic experiments. What ties the two sides of the record together is the strength of the band's musicianship, which burns brightly and powerfully on the hardest rockers, as well as on the sensitive ballads."

The album truly encompasses everything an album can possibly have. Every genre is spanned. While there are only nine songs on the album, it is a short listen but certain tracks like "The Bomber: Closet Queen" is a medley that goes from hard funk to classical and finally ends with a progression that was taken right from the hands of Hendrix. The song "Funk 49" has been used in countless movies and was recently featured in Rock Band 3. The song has become a classic rock anthem.

1. "Funk #49" (Fox, Peters, Walsh) – 3:54
2. "Asshton Park" (Fox, Peters, Walsh) – 2:01
3. "Woman" (Fox, Peters, Walsh) – 4:37
4. "The Bomber: Closet Queen" (Fox, Peters, Walsh) / "Boléro" (Maurice Ravel)* / "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" (Vince Guaraldi) – 7:04
5. "Tend My Garden" (Walsh) – 5:45
6. "Garden Gate" (Walsh) – 1:36
7. "There I Go Again" (Walsh) – 2:51
8. "Thanks" (Walsh) – 2:21
9. "Ashes, the Rain and I" (Peters, Walsh) – 5:00

The albums personnel:

• Joe Walsh – guitars, keyboards, piano, percussion, vocals.
• Dale Peters – bass guitars, guitars, keyboards, percussion, vocals.
• Jim Fox – drums, percussion, keyboards, organ, piano, vocals.
• Rusty Young – pedal steel guitar on "There I Go Again".